Julio Caesar Villarreal Obituary, Death; – A man lost his life after being hit by a semi-truck while he was outside a vehicle on Sunday afternoon on Interstate 70 in Ellis County, according to officials.
The incident occurred at 3:55 p.m. on Sunday on the westbound lane of I-70, approximately one mile west of Hays.
As reported by the Kansas Highway Patrol, three individuals were in the process of loading a disabled 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe onto a trailer that was being towed by a 1996 Ford F-250 pickup truck parked on the north shoulder of I-70.
One of the pedestrians was trying to secure the vehicle on the side of the trailer nearest to the roadway.
That person was struck by a 2026 Freightliner semitrailer traveling west on I-70, which failed to stay in its lane, as stated by officials.
The deceased was identified as Julio Caesar Villarreal, 37, from Wakeeney, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the semitrailer, Alejandro Fuentes-Castro, 53, from Wilmington, Delaware, was reported to have sustained no injuries. The patrol noted that Fuentes-Castro was wearing his seat belt.
An occupant of the Ford pickup truck, Lucas Childress, 11, from Wakeeney, was also reported uninjured.
Two other pedestrians were reported to be uninjured as well. They were identified as Randall L. Hilgers, 42, from Wakeeney, and Juan A. Mejia, 53, from San Diego.
Further details were not immediately available.
